Eurasia

13 November 2008 Skopje – The method used in the recent murder of Croatian journalist Ivo Pukanic and his marketing chief, Niko Franjic, is similar to the one used in the attempt on a former Macedonian President’s life in 1995, local media have reported police sources as saying.

13 November 2008 Belgrade – The arrest of former Bosnian Serbs leader Radovan Karadzic created difficulties for the investigation into the whereabouts of fugitive Ratko Mladic, Serbian Labour Minister Rasim Ljajic said in an interview published today in Belgrade’s Politika newspaper.

13 November 2008 Tirana – Ten lawmakers from Albania’s smaller parliamentary parties are continuing the hunger strike they began on Monday in the parliament building to protest against proposed changes to the electoral code.

13 November 2008 Zagreb – Croatian President Stjepan Mesic and Prime Minister Ivo Sanader called for what media have dubbed “a Croatian New Deal”, a national strategy to battle the country’s economic crisis.

13 November 2008 Pristina – Veton Surroi, leader of the Reformist Party, ORA, has described Pristina’s rejection of the United Nation’s six-point plan as very late and incomplete.

13 November 2008 Skopje – The Macedonian capital Skopje on Thursday marks the 64th anniversary of its liberation from Nazi occupation during World War Two.

13 November 2008 Sarajevo – The government of the Serb-dominated entity of Republika Srpska has cut minister’s salaries and introduced savings in the rest of the administration as part of a plan to re-allocate resources for increased social support.

13 November 2008 Skopje – There was no political motive for the killing of Redza Zulkani, the brother-in-law of Menduh Thaci, the leader of the main opposition ethnic Albanian party in Macedonia, police say.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Bush administration still hopes to send an official to Moscow this year to discuss missile defense despite reports that the Kremlin has rejected the latest U.S. plan, the State Department said on Thursday.

PARIS (Reuters) – Russia could cancel its deployment of missiles near the Polish border if U.S. President-elect Barack Obama scraps plans for a missile defense system in central Europe, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said.